11th Season 2026-2027
Announcing LAB's "Big Band" 11th Season
Los Angeles Baroque, directed by Lindsey Strand-Polyak
Artistic Associates: Courtney Kuroda, violin; Eva Lymenstull, cello; Aki Nishiguchi, oboe
Sunday, November 22, 2026
Sunday, February 21, 2027
Sunday, May 2, 2027
All concerts are one hour without intermission, free to attend and open to all ages*, and begin at 4:00 pm in the Sanctuary of St. James' Episcopal Church, 1325 Monterey Road, South Pasadena, CA 91030 sjcsp.org
Join the musicians for a post-concert wine, waters and snacks reception after the concert, in the Parish Hall.
*LAB is funded by donations and members' dues. Donations at concerts are encouraged, but not expected.
While we welcome everyone at our concerts, young children who may not be able to remain quiet for a 60-minute concert are invited to join us afterward, at the reception.
PREVIOUSLY...
10th Season, 2025-26
Sunday, May 10, 2026
Bangers and Mashups!
All the hits from LAB's first 10 years! French, Bach, chaconnes, Handel, Telemann, Corelli... and, as always, a few surprises. LAB's 10th Season closed with a big party for everyone of our greatest hits.
Saturday, March 14, 2026
Telemann's Birthday Bash
LAB's 10th Season continued with a musical party for Georg Philipp Telemann, celebrating his 345th birthday on Saturday, March 14. The program featured Telemann's Viola Concerto featuring soloist Zachary Hamilton, our 2025-26 string apprentice. Plus, an overture-suite with french horn and oboes, multiple flute concertos, and more birthday party pieces.
Sunday, November 16, 2025
Into the Woods: A Magical Music Tour
Music of enchantment by Vivaldi, Graun and Geminiani written for 18th-century stage versions of the popular story of Armida. Handel brought the outdoors inside with the “Sweet Bird” aria from L’Allegro and selections from his “Cuckoo and Nightingale” organ concerto.
9th Season, 2024-25
Sunday April 6, 2025
Pool Party: Music for Spring by Handel and Telemann
Telemann's Water Music Suite and Grillen (Cricket) Symphony plus selections from Handel's Water Music Suites.
Sunday February 23, 2025
From Dresden with Love: Music of Resilience
This winter, we’re bringing you warm greetings and resilience "From Dresden with Love" as we return to the green vault, first explored by LAB's Big Band in March 2023, to mine more treasures from the jewel box orchestra.
Preceded by prelude music from 3:15 pm as you enter the Sanctuary, performed by LAB's South Pasadena Consort Club and the LAB Oboe Band.
Sunday November 17, 2024
Pardon my French! The Music of Versailles
This fall, LAB is going big, we’re going bold, and we’re going French! We’ll be performing two suites on the same story, Bacchus and Ariadne, as set by O.G. French opera composer Jean-Baptiste Lully, and one of his most successful students, Marin Marais. The tale involves love, wine and a happy ending… Perfect for fall! Then we’ll look at how Telemann "does French" in one of the suites, which seems to fit perfectly with Versailles. We can marvel at how Telemann is the eternal chameleon yet manages to always pull it off with his unique style.
8th Season, 2023-24
Sunday, May 19, 2024
Bohemian Rhapsody!
When we think of "Baroque" music, many of us think Germany, Italy, France, England… and then the list starts to trail off. This often has much more to do with modern political history and scholarship than the richness of the repertories. Thankfully, this is starting to change, and this Spring, we’re digging into delicious music by Czech composers and the patronage of the Prague Court. One of the other themes in this program is how composers processed life's challenges through music. This area of the world had suffered greatly from plague and the 30 Years’ War. And yet, Zelenka and Biber wrote pieces that would have brought these topics into a salon-type setting.
Sunday, March 17, 2024
High School Musicale: The Ladies of Vivaldi's Venice
Welcome to 18th-century Carnivale season in Venice, where party-hardy nobles from all over Europe came to get down, hit the gambling tables, and take in a show, Vegas-style! One of the most coveted tickets in town was an unlikely spot just round the corner from the famous Basilica San Marco: a school for young women with one of the best orchestras in Europe, led by the "Red Priest" Antonio Vivaldi himself. We celebrate the spirit of the season, the talent of Vivaldi’s orchestra, and a composer who changed 18th-century music.
Sunday, November 12, 2023
Bath Time: Music for Matchmaking Season
Grab your finest silk coat or gown, and the latest gossip column! We're heading to the resort town of Bath, in Somerset, England. Enjoy a one-hour program that local 18th-century philanthropist Ralph Allen might have hosted: concertos by Handel, Corelli and Hellendaal; then, at the magical golden hour, selections from Purcell's The Fairy Queen. Dapper Georgian dress is encouraged, and a party with the musicians follows the concert.